A whooping million and half veterans call Florida home, which makes it the third highest concentration of military veterans in the nation. The sacrifices done by military personal and their families are enormous. Recognizing this, the government has put to motion a broad range of mental health initiatives. These are specifically designed and implemented to provide support to the unique needs of the community.

The most widely publicized mental illness challenges veterans and army members encounter are PTSD, anxiety and depression. Other issues such as suicide, substance abuse and interpersonal violence are also common. The programs and initiatives by the state provides management of a wide range of issues. These services are provided through in-person consultations or through telepsychiatry and telehealth platforms, thereby ensuring that veterans and their families receive all the support needed.

Challenges Faced by Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life:

A profession in the armed forces often means experiencing situations that have long term impact on their mental health. It is difficult for such people to accept change from their military lives. Veterans face various struggles when they enter civilian life such as difficulty adjusting to new routines and lifestyles and finding employment.  Long periods of staying away from family, frequent transfers, direct encounter and of an execution of killings puts huge amount of pressure on the veterans and their families, thus affecting their mental well-being.

A comprehensive approach to mental health for veterans:

Using federal funding, state resources and with the help of various non-profit organizations, Florida has come up with various initiatives to provide mental health to veterans and their families.

FDVA:

FDVVA stands for Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. It is the premier point of entry for Florida veterans to access earned services, benefits and support. It ensures easy access to mental wellness services such as counselling, therapy, psychiatry services including medication management and various rehabilitation programs to veterans.

Veterans crisis line:

This offers 24/7 confidential crisis support for veterans and their families. It is basically a tele health platform that offers mental health services and other health services through calls by connecting the patient through secure lines to general physician, psychiatrists, psychologists or any other therapist.

Florida 211 network:

The Florida 211 network is an import ant resources for mental health services for veterans and their families seeking support. They provide confidential services including crisis counselling, and various veteran specific programs.

Operation Family Caregiver:

The main aim of this help group is to provide free personalized coaching to the families of members who are returning from service. It equips them with the understanding, ideas and tools to manage stressful situations, improve communications and successfully provide a supporting hand to a loved one with mental illness issues. The Operation Family Caregiver identifies the vital role of family in supporting veterans.

Veterans’ Treatment  courts:

These have been initiated by the state to address the needs of veterans who face criminal justice. These courts provide rehabilitation through therapy, substance abuse counseling and peer mentoring.

Headstrong project:

The Headstrong project offers free, confidential and stigma-free mental healthcare services to veterans who were part of 9/11.

Mental health issues are still seen as something that needs to be kept quiet or hushed up. People are concerned about others getting to know that someone in the family is undergoing treatment, especially for a mental health issues. Such issues have been compared to being ‘mentally weak”. This belief is extremely bothering, especially to an individual who has served in the armed forces and put their lives on the line to protect the nation. Used to following a strict and disciplined lifestyle, they might even deny that they need psychiatric care as they associate it with weakness. The thought of people coming to know that they’re taking help is not something they can easily deal with

Support Programs and Resources for Military Families in Florida:

The challenges faced by a military family cannot be justified through words. The state of Florida provides these families assistance in the form of finances through programs like the Military Family Assistance Trust Fund. The Military Interstate Children’s compact commission (MIC3) plays an important role to help ease the challenges of frequent relocations. Along with this they also help with school enrolments, graduation needs and stress management. Along with these self-help groups, non-profit organizations such as Mission united and the Wounded Warrior project work alongside to provide a variety of services like housing assistance, job training, etc.

Overcoming Barriers to Mental Health Care Through Telehealth and Telepsychiatry:

Though there are plenty of resources, barriers like societal stigma, geographic limitations, time constraints and lack of awareness are still common.  These challenges are overcome n the following ways:

Telehealth:

through telehealth platforms, veterans are able to overcome the barriers and limitations of in-person treatment. This enables them to access counseling and therapy from their homes. Telehealth has risen to become an important service by delivering psychiatry services and medication management to underserved areas.

Telepsychiatry:

Telepsychiatry, a branch of telehealth, allows psychiatrists, psychologists and other therapists to render their services online. This method employs remote psychiatric evaluations, medication management and other mental healthcare.

Florida has invested and put sincere efforts to train mental health providers  recognize the unique needs of military personnel and families ensuring comprehensive care from psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists. By ensuring services of these professionals through in-person or telepsychiatry and telehealth, Florida makes the way for a healthy veteran community, thus honoring their sacrifice and service.